David Oliver (8)

I thank the author for the ARC copy they sent me via librarything!

The SPFBO 2018 contest has just started and this book is one of the 300 titles vying for the glory. I'm glad to have read 2 of the competing books so early into the game.

Is this book grimdark? coming of age? military? It seems to mix several genres into one in a gritty tale of two demon hunters called Caledan and his best friend Cassius as we see two stories unfold: their present day life as full-fledged Imperators that have pretty much forgone any remaining traces of humanity to become the Emperor's killing machines and a much more jovial story of their childhood when they survive a horrid ambush in their rural village and end up escaping with a mysterious man only known as "The Tracker" and ultimately reaching a rural city named Forgoth.

Caledan is the colder and more calculating of the two, whereas Cassius exudes a sense of gentle giant that wants to defend the weak. After realizing Tracker was in some way associated with the savages that killed their family and friends, Cassius convinces Caldean to forgive his life, taking advantage of his wits and how the mysterious man is willing to teach them a language neither one of the two groups speaks fluently along the way. During a siege from a pack of wolves, Caledan bumps into a strange mythical beast called a "Great Heart", a gigantic panther named Seya that has formed a powerful bond with him and wants to protect him at all costs.

Being bonded with a mythical beast that makes Caledan impervious to most lethal wounds and adept at stealth soon attracts the attention of the kind hearted General Kyle of Forgoth who somewhat adopts the two boys and asks some of his men to teach them fighting skills and the commonly spoken Andurran language. A former pickpocket girl named Ella also joins the group and the three teenagers become close friends.

The book seems to enjoy a reprieve of the darkness of the first few chapters, but it doesn't take long for Caledan's skills to attract the attention of the Imperators, who bring them to the capital to meet the Emperor himself. They instantly accept the Emperor's request to train as Imperators, and most of the rest of the novel focuses on their rosy tinted experience of the initial two years as Imperator students.

We start to see flashes of the present day and realize the gentle and kind Cassius has been turned into a brutish killing machine with few memories of his past as he chases a group of demonic beasts alongside a bitter and cynical Caledan.

The pacing of the story is great. I was constantly wondering what will happen next and if the book would remain as dark as the first 2 chapters (it tones things down for most of the novel). Despite the horrible memories, the two boys experience a very happy childhood training with Kyle and forming friendships with other aspiring Imperators. We initially meet a sugary wonderful Emperor, but present day Caledan's disdain for the man proves that there is definitely more to him that seems to only see his Imperators as highly valuable tools for his more malignant schemes.

The book is solely told via Caledan's POV but it never feels tiring and I really liked the character. He knows there is a darkness to him that he somewhat accepts, but he still has a strong code of honor and genuinely cares about the people that are important to him. There are tons of unanswered questions to this book with a somewhat odd ending that will hopefully be answered in the possible sequel.

This book was a very enjoyable and easygoing story and I'm glad that I read it.… (más)

I thank the author for the ARC copy they sent me via librarything!

The SPFBO 2018 contest has just started and this book is one of the 300 titles vying for the glory. I'm glad to have read 2 of the competing books so early into the game.

Is this book grimdark? coming of age? military? It seems to mix several genres into one in a gritty tale of two demon hunters called Caledan and his best friend Cassius as we see two stories unfold: their present day life as full-fledged Imperators that have pretty much forgone any remaining traces of humanity to become the Emperor's killing machines and a much more jovial story of their childhood when they survive a horrid ambush in their rural village and end up escaping with a mysterious man only known as "The Tracker" and ultimately reaching a rural city named Forgoth.

Caledan is the colder and more calculating of the two, whereas Cassius exudes a sense of gentle giant that wants to defend the weak. After realizing Tracker was in some way associated with the savages that killed their family and friends, Cassius convinces Caldean to forgive his life, taking advantage of his wits and how the mysterious man is willing to teach them a language neither one of the two groups speaks fluently along the way. During a siege from a pack of wolves, Caledan bumps into a strange mythical beast called a "Great Heart", a gigantic panther named Seya that has formed a powerful bond with him and wants to protect him at all costs.

Being bonded with a mythical beast that makes Caledan impervious to most lethal wounds and adept at stealth soon attracts the attention of the kind hearted General Kyle of Forgoth who somewhat adopts the two boys and asks some of his men to teach them fighting skills and the commonly spoken Andurran language. A former pickpocket girl named Ella also joins the group and the three teenagers become close friends.

The book seems to enjoy a reprieve of the darkness of the first few chapters, but it doesn't take long for Caledan's skills to attract the attention of the Imperators, who bring them to the capital to meet the Emperor himself. They instantly accept the Emperor's request to train as Imperators, and most of the rest of the novel focuses on their rosy tinted experience of the initial two years as Imperator students.

We start to see flashes of the present day and realize the gentle and kind Cassius has been turned into a brutish killing machine with few memories of his past as he chases a group of demonic beasts alongside a bitter and cynical Caledan.

The pacing of the story is great. I was constantly wondering what will happen next and if the book would remain as dark as the first 2 chapters (it tones things down for most of the novel). Despite the horrible memories, the two boys experience a very happy childhood training with Kyle and forming friendships with other aspiring Imperators. We initially meet a sugary wonderful Emperor, but present day Caledan's disdain for the man proves that there is definitely more to him that seems to only see his Imperators as highly valuable tools for his more malignant schemes.

The book is solely told via Caledan's POV but it never feels tiring and I really liked the character. He knows there is a darkness to him that he somewhat accepts, but he still has a strong code of honor and genuinely cares about the people that are important to him. There are tons of unanswered questions to this book with a somewhat odd ending that will hopefully be answered in the possible sequel.

This book was a very enjoyable and easygoing story and I'm glad that I read it.… (más)

The Great Hearts is an engaging fantasy told from the first – person perspective of a teenage boy and containing elements akin to “Superman”, “Jungle Book”, and “Star Wars”. The first comparison comes from the destruction of the protagonists' family at the beginning of the story; the second for the prominence of non – human companionship and stewardship; and the third for the coming of age plot in which the boy enters the world of wizardry. These comparisons are not meant to detract from the originality in any way.

I particularly liked the Great Heart concept which refers mainly to an animal of magical prowess custom designed or appointed as a steward / guardian of a prodigy youth. Any connection between virtuous animals and flawed people has the real world value of instilling proper ethics in our environmentally perverse society. Oliver does a a fine job of letting the boy mature both with and without his “assigned” companion.

My primary criticism for the work is its loose ends. If you are one to read complete series, you will have no complaint at all. I, however, prefer my books to be more stand – alone. A good series need not closely link one volume to another. A reader's enthusiasm should suffice. Deduct a star. I am also very stingy about giving genre fiction 5 stars. I mostly reserve that level for nonfiction, researched works. But for its ending, this is a 4 star book that the reader will enjoy, especially a series aficionado.… (más)